Ursula von der Leyen' slip-up on agriculture did not pass unnoticed by lawmakers, who voiced regret that the Commission president-elect did not mention at all the farming sector in the first speech she addressed to the plenary in Strasbourg last Tuesday (16 July).

The proposed expenditure cuts in Common Agriculture and Cohesion Policy in the next long-term EU budget are higher than what the European Commission announced and this might impact future EU policies, the European Parliament’s budget rapporteurs told reporters on Wednesday (23 May).

Irish Commissioner-designate for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan survived his hearing in Parliament’s AGRI Committee, in spite of attacks by the Greens, and some domestic policy issues, raised by compatriots.

National leaders were quick to portray last week's budget summit agreement as a victory for their country. But one week after the dust has settled, the picture looks more nuanced. The EURACTIV network brings you an overview from Britain, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain.

As EU leaders meet tomorrow (7 February) for a two-day summit to ink out a deal on the Union's long-term budget for 2014-2020, diplomats said it was “now or never” for them to agree. Indeed, the political calendar of countries like Germany would make it much more difficult to reach a compromise before the 2014 European elections.

French President François Hollande positioned himself as a promoter of growth and solidarity and tried to woo MEPs on the EU's long-term budget as he spoke to the European Parliament in Strasbourg yesterday (5 February). EURACTIV France reports.

The discrepancy between political commitments and budgetary engagements will make an agreement at the 22-23 November summit very difficult, says MEP Ivailo Kalfin, one of the two European Parliament rapporteurs on the 2014-2020 EU budget.

Paris hopes to clinch an agreement before the end of the year to launch an ‘enhanced cooperation’ mechanism allowing a small group of at least nine EU countries to move forward on a financial transaction tax (FTT), French European Affairs Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said yesterday (24 September).

Cyprus tabled yesterday (19 September) a ‘negotiating box’ for the European Union budget for 2014-2020, to be discussed by European affairs ministers on Monday. According to the paper, ministers are requested to limit their presentations to three minutes.

European Commission plans to require farmers to set aside green areas under the next phase of the EU’s agriculture support programme face uncertainty amid mounting opposition from growers organisations and lawmakers.

Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolo? faced a barrage of criticism yesterday (7 November) over plans to overhaul the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) before a rare gathering of national farm ministers and members of the European Parliament.

Farmers in Western countries such as France could see their subsidies cut by up to 7% as more money is being channeled to Central and Eastern European states. EU farm Commissioner Dacian Ciolo? spoke to EURACTIV in an exclusive interview ahead of proposals today to reform the EU's Common Agricultural policy for 2014-2020.

London and Warsaw have put themselves firmly on a collision course with France over the upcoming reform of the EU's farm policy, calling for a "modernisation of European agriculture" which they claim currently "protects outdated practices of the past."

Plans to reform the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) do not go far enough to level out differences in direct payments between the bloc's 'old' and 'new' members, said national parliamentarians from the bloc's Central and Eastern member countries.

The EU's next long-term budget for 2014-2020 will be at the centre of Poland's EU Presidency during the second half of the year, with Warsaw eyeing a bigger share of EU spending, it emerges from the country's programme, unveiled yesterday (31 May).

France claimed a victory on Monday (29 November) in its bid to defend the European Union's farm budget from deep cuts, saying it had helped convince the bloc's executive to change its thinking on the policy.

A regional body in northern France has developed a scheme for those interested in creating a farming business. But despite its popularity, its creators face persistent problems in accessing EU funds. EURACTIV France reports.

Growing imports of Chinese tomatoes in Italy are making it impossible for local producers to maintain quality and could lead to the disappearance of the Italian tomato, said industry representatives, who are considering switching to more lucrative crops.

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